My Favorites

Wow ... six months since I've made an entry here. That flew by. Guess I haven't thought much about stopping to blog because life has just been so darn busy. I saw a fellow blogger (one of my favorites) make a "baby-book" entry on her blog today though and it got me to thinking about my kids' baby books. I did okay with filling in some of the blanks. Not all. Some. I certainly haven't written in them in years. It has gotten me thinking back today. To when they were little. How I miss those days. But oh, how I am loving who these babies are growing up to be!

I thought I'd write a brief summary here of who these precious people have been and who they are becoming today. Just to have it somewhere.

Here goes ...

My first born. My favorite girl in the world. You made such a dramatic entrance into our lives and it has been a non-stop, fun-filled ride. Somehow, you have been funny since birth. I have laughed SO much in the last fourteen years. I can't imagine how boring my life would have been without you. My Mom says you came out demanding that the thermostat be adjusted in the delivery room. Oh yes, you have known what you wanted right from the start. You were so intriguing though. Not one to cry. You seemed to talk before you could talk. Your eyes. They have always told your story. You never could hide an emotion. I even remember you once babbling to Daddy's Mom when you were upset with her. You were probably only about a year old. You didn't cry. You just furrowed your brow and babbled at her. She knew you were telling her off in your own language. If only someone would have translated. It didn't take you long to find your words though. Eighteen months and talking in full sentences. Walked at nine months. Ran at ten months. This is a girl on a mission. You have things to DO. Oh yes, you have the potential to make me crazier than just about any other person I've met. But you also make me one of the happiest people ever. You are SO spontaneous. You can make a decision on a dime. No thought. No planning. No consideration for consequences. You are so NOT me in this regard. But I've learned SO much from you. I have even done a spontaneous thing or two since you came into my life. Imagine that. I had no idea the things God would teach me through this baby girl He gave me 14 years ago. Your passion and zeal for life are contagious. These things I love the most about you often get you into trouble though. Especially in school. Passion, zeal, and humor aren't always welcome in a classroom setting. You don't seem to notice. I try to remind you it won't be welcome in a work environment either. This is proving to be a hard lesson for you. I've always wanted to help you keep that passion, love for life, and AWESOME sense of humor but somehow get it through that head of yours that there is a time and a place for everything. Oh the times you have heard those words. "Time and Place, baby girl." You hear it in your sleep, I'm sure. I hope you are growing up knowing though that I absolutely LOVE who you are and who you are becoming. One of my main goals with you has always been to KEEP FROM breaking that spirit but to also teach you how to, when needed, restrain that bubbly person that just seems to NEED out. It's tough. I hope I don't sound too often as if I disapprove of who you are. Because that is so NOT true. I love who you are. Love. But you know what one of my absolute favorite things about you is? Your love for the Lord. I see your passion there too. True passion. You know Him. You love Him. And you aren't afraid to let the world know it. This is the thing I love about you the most. I can't wait to see what God has planned for you.

My Fancy in one word: PASSION

My second born. My favorite boy in the world. My first thought of you was that you brought balance. We had spent three and a half years with your passionate, bubbly, crazy, life-loving big sister when along came this tiny boy. Quiet, thoughtful ... deep. From day one. You somehow seemed to contemplate life sitting there at a month old in your swing. You walked late, you talked late. You had no agenda. You were so laid back. But those eyes. There was always something going on in that head of yours. Oh, you too have your moments. You do not leave us guessing what you are feeling. There is sadness. There is happiness. There is anger. Rarely, there is even wild laughter. Rarely. But oh, the joy it brings me to see you exploding with laughter. But mostly, you seem to attempt restrain. You hold back. Your words are few for the most part. But you are always thinking. Maybe even worrying. Are you worrying? Are you your Mother's son? I think so. There is a depth. I am so excited to see what will come of this depth. I love that you will NOT continue something you cannot be perfect at on the very first try. Well, I kind of love that. I know it isn't exactly desirable. But it is so you. And it is so ME. Funny thing ... you are good at almost everything you try. Do you know what you will succeed at and only try those things? Perhaps. If you truly are me, you have made a mental pros and cons list in your head before even attempting. Maybe even tried to mathematically plot out the odds of your success. Yes, I bet you do. I love that about you. You are also hilarious. I love that both my kids are so funny. Your humor is so different from your sister's. More surprising. More thought out. But you keep me in stitches nonetheless. How boring my life would have been without you, my sweet boy. When it comes to spiritual things, with you I sometimes wonder. I see such a passion in your sister when we talk about Jesus. Such a love for Him. I don't really seem to see that with you. But then ... once in awhile, you will ask a DEEP question. Or make a DEEP statement. One that you have clearly been pondering. One that floors me. One that takes the breath right out of my lungs. And I know. That you know. You get it. You know Him. You love Him. And those are the best moments. The best. I can't wait to see what God has planned for you. Let's see if you can let Him reveal His plan for you without your plans getting too much in the way. That's a lesson your Mama is still learning.

My Bubby in one word: CONTEMPLATIVE

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.
3 John 1:4







And since Daddy doesn't have a blog, I will just say here that his love for you two simply takes my breath away. I love how he loves me. But more than that, I love him for his love for my babies. Here is my favorite picture of ya'll of all time.

More Fun With Photoshop

So ... I made a new blog header.

I love the look but still need to play to figure out why I can't make it the size I want. Also, I am not sure how to make the background the way I want it.

I am LOVING playing with Photoshop though. I have made some scrapbook pages, a friend's baby shower invitation, our Christmas Cards for this year, and now this. I am looking forward to spending much more time playing with it!

Here is an anonymous version of the baby shower invite I made this summer:

Hope you are having a great holiday season so far!

So ....

I guess I am realizing that I can continue to post here. It's not like this was a strictly homeschooling blog, right?

So, maybe I will be back here soon.

:0)

New Fun

My fun friend, Sarah, has ruined any chance of me utilizing my time wisely by introducing me to digital scrapbooking.

I had so much fun today looking though some online tutorials and after a few hours a bit of fun, I had completed my first page.

It isn't all that fantastic or impressive but it was super fun and I am excited to make more.

Thanks Sarah!!

Here it is ..... Fancy and her friend being silly:

Change ... not on my list of my favorite things

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens, brown paper packages tied up with strings .... sure, those could make my list, but CHANGE, not so much.

Things are changing around here. The more I try to resist it, the more change there is. Some are "good" changes ... except that I do NOT like any change. Oh, I already made that clear? Ok then, we can move on.

The biggest change: The final verdict is in. We will not be homeschooling for the 2009-2010 schoolyear. First I typed, "this will be our last year to homeschool", but then I remembered that I once twice said multiple times that we would never homeschool ... that I could never homeschool. And yet we did. We have homeschooled for two years. They have been an amazing two years. Two years that have blessed me beyond description. I can't say this will be our last year because I don't know what the future brings.

I have regretted my children's early years in so many ways. Mine were the kids that were there when the daycare opened and were picked up when the daycare was closing for too many years. That's the way it was done. That's what all my friends from work did with their kids. What else can you do when you work a Monday through Friday 8-5 job? My kids seemed fine. I was fine and that's how I grew up. I can honestly say I thought of it as normal.

Soon I decided to go back to school. Those were *busy* years. My kids were loved but neglected all the more. Once I graduated, things slowly came into perspective. My kids no longer had to go to daycare after school. I could work nights and be there for them. What a blessing. Then I realized I could send them to a small Christian school in our area that only required them to be there three days a week and I could be with them even more. Even more of a blessing. That was a great year. I realized that year through much prayer that I had the opportunity to allow God to "restore the years that the swarming locusts had eaten" (Joel 2:25). I thought I might be going crazy as the thought of homeschooling seemed more and more reasonable to me. Prayer convinced me it wasn't craziness. It was submission to His will for us in that season.

Looking back, His timing couldn't have been more perfect.

These two years have restored our family. We are closer to eachother and to God. We are happier. We are blessed and we know it.

It's time for this change. I cannot run on 4 hours of sleep (on a good day) for much longer. I want to ... oh, how I want to .... but it's time. I have spent two years trying to figure out (financially) how to quit my job. It's not going to happen ... not in this season.

My kids deserve teachers that aren't tired and cranky. My kids deserve to be able to go on fieldtrips (we can never go on the homeschool fieldtrips we are invited to because we barely keep up with the school load due to my work/sleep schedule). My kids deserve a lot that I can't give them in this season. I know that. I hate it but I know it.

I know there are seasons in life. I know change comes. I accept it. I do.

It doesn't mean I'm not sad. I will miss my kids being here every minute. I will miss so much. And let's face it, I am not looking forward to other people making our assignments. ugh :)

The kids are going back to that three day a week school that we loved so dearly. It is a NAUMS school. We loved the program. It will be a perfect balance of school and home. Of that I am confident. They will be home with me on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I will be able to arrange my work schedule so that everyday that they are home with me I will be awake and happy. Imagine that.

It is time for a new season.

Please join me in prayer for my family as we make this adjustment.

A Peek ....

..... into our day

 

Pedro and Jenni enjoying the open windows and cool breezes:

                         

 

The countdown has begun. This is our chalkboard in the kitchen:

                               

February Happenings

We have had a fun month around here.

There's been lots of painting ... by the boy:

 

 

.... and the girl:

who, by the way, is wearing what has to be her favorite shirt STILL - she is frequently showing her support for him.

                       

We built a log cabin on Presidents Day (is that supposed to have an apostrophe or not?)

                      

And because we are fresh out of Abraham Lincoln action figures, it has become a Lego prop .... hours have been spent in this log cabin people:

                         

We made some Red Velvet Valentine cupcakes and iced them with pink ... YUM!

                          

Bubby's Basketball season came to and end. We had a great time at the end of the season party where Bubby got to hang out with WHK.

                         

And where he also got to meet these guys and get their autographs:

FYI: He was much more excited to meet them than these pictures suggest!

And last but not least, here is how Jenni spends her afternoons. Apparently she doesn't find reading as exciting as we do!